By Olivia Kittle and Suzanne Leonard
At the most basic level, it is often said that pigs need three things to grow: good food, good water and good air. The swine industry spends a great deal of input resources and effort on producing feedstuffs, precisely formulating diets based on stage of production and available ingredients, and processing and transporting those finalized diets to the correct pigs at the correct time.
In fact, research by Iowa State University shows 60% to 70% of the total cost to raise a weaned pig to market weight is attributed to feed costs, highlighting the importance of feed in the overall productivity equation. A 2015 study by National Pork Board showed an estimated 70% of the energy needed to produce a market weight pig was used for production and transportation of feed.
Many efforts are focused on reducing feed costs via custom formulations, additives and optimized transportation, but management of the feed after it arrives in the finishing barn can also have an impact on feed efficiency and costs.
Reduce Competition with Adequate Feeder Space
For free-fed finishing pigs, adequate feeder space is needed to reduce competition. If too little feeder space, sometimes referred to as linear feeder space, is provided, the pigs will have greater competition and may reduce average daily weight gain. Too much linear feeder space can make managing feed pan coverage more challenging, but is usually not as problematic as too little space. For dry feeders, industry standards recommend having 1 inch per nursery pig and 1.88-2.0 inches per finishing pig. Wet-dry feeder space recommendations are slightly lower, at 1.15-1.25 inches per finishing pig. For a pen of 35 finishing pigs with a dry feeder, these recommendations suggest a feeder that is at least 66 inches wide.
Improve ADG with Proper Feed Pan Coverage
Proper feed pan coverage can improve average daily gain and feed to gain ratios. Industry recommendations for the ideal feed pan coverage percentage vary by pig age, with 50-70% coverage being ideal for pigs at placement in nursery and wean-finish barns, while a lower percentage of 25-60% is generally recommended for mid and late finishing. Too little feed pan coverage can increase time spent at the feeder and competition, while too much leads to wastage and sorting with extreme overfill resulting in excess feed ending up on the floor or in the pit. Several factors can dynamically influence feed pan coverage, such as feeder wear over time, diet composition and flow properties, and uniformity of pellet or ground particle size; thus, feed pan settings should be evaluated and adjusted at multiple points during the production cycle.
Optimize Your Feed System
In a recent study, researchers from North Carolina State University assessed feed pan coverage in 16 commercial wean-finish barns across five production sites. Three cycles of pigs were monitored in the barns, with feed pan coverage recorded twice per cycle at placement (week 1) and the week before the first cut of pigs (week 17). Coverage was visually assessed on a scale from 0-100% and empty pens and hospital pens were excluded. All barns were equipped with 5-hole dry feeders and provided similar pelleted diets.
Results show that feed pan coverage was generally greater in week 1 than week 17 (Table 1). This management strategy is supported by literature, suggesting that greater coverage at placement encourages earlier consistency in feed intake.
However, the majority of the sites maintained feed pan coverage greater than 60% in week 17, presenting an opportunity to reduce coverage and improve feed efficiency. While only 1.3% of feeders measured in week 1 had no feed, this number increased to 4.6% in week 17 observations (Figures 1 and 2). The majority of these feed outages were caused by empty bins, resulting in low or no feed in the majority of the feeders at the site visit, rather than individual feeder flow problems.
These results highlight the importance of overall system optimization, as the feed mill, farms and trucks work together to provide consistent, quality feed to the pigs. Managing feeders is a basic element of production with valuable productivity and sustainability implications.
Editor’s Note: Kittle is a master’s degree student and Leonard is an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Animal Science at North Carolina State University. This research was funded in part by National Pork Board.
